


Curiosity

by Cloudflake



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Mild Smut, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-06-02 17:36:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6576001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloudflake/pseuds/Cloudflake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short story where Shepard gets caught looking for specific informations about Turians.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic ever. While the story takes place in ME2, I took some liberty regarding the presence of some characters. Please note that english is not my native language. Comments, good or bad, are more than welcome.

 

Shepard was sitting in the dark at Liara’s desk, behind her terminal. She knew the light wouldn’t attract anyone, but it felt safer anyway. Liara was out at the Citadel, doing some business of hers, and was not coming back for a few more hours. Shepard decided to use her office because in her cabin, it wouldn’t be long before someone came to fetch her. Plus, that way, nobody could retrace the research she was about to make back to her.

"I’m so ridiculous,” she whispered.

Shepard only wanted to satisfy her curiosity. It was at least what she told herself.

She took a deep breath and opened the search engine. She typed turians and humans relationship. The results that appeared on the screen were all historical or political facts.

“I need to be more precise than that,” she told herself.

She proceeded to add intimate before relationship, which lead to lots of entries about couples formed by a turian and a human. After browsing through some of them, she saw that again, it was just more historical facts and names. Nowhere it specified how it could work physically. Even if she felt she already knew, it at least proved that a human/turian relationship was possible.

Jane removed the text in the search box and pondered. She then typed, with a bit of embarrassment, interspecies sexuality. She found a page named turians sexuality and looked it up. There was a description of the behaviors and customs of the species on the subject. She was reassured by the fact that it was not far from those of humans. She saw a link for erogenous zones and opened it. She had been reading for a few minutes when the office’s door opened.

“Shepard?”

Jane’s breath stopped and she quickly pushed the button to turn off the screen. She felt blood rushing to her face but forced herself to turn to deal with the newcomer.

“Garrus! Hi!” she said with a voice she found too loud and shrill.  _ Shit, of all people who could have caught me here _ , _ it had to be him _ , she thought to herself. She wasn’t sure he had time to see what was on the screen before switching it off, but she doubted it. She felt like she got caught with her pants down anyway.

“What are you doing in here?” he asked.

“Huh … I …” she mumbled.

“And why are you sitting in the dark?”

“I … wanted a quiet place where I could think for a while, that’s all.”

Garrus was looking at her not convinced, so she added:

“I knew if I stayed in my cabin, I would not have a minute for myself. So I took the opportunity to come here, since Liara’s out.”

While she explained that, Garrus came to join her by the desk. He looked at the black screen, then back at Shepard. She was starting to get uncomfortable. She wondered again if he had time to see anything. She had to get his attention on something else. She got up and stretched.

“What about you, why are you here? Looking for Liara?”

“Well … yeah. Most of the time, when you enter someone’s place, it’s because you look for that person, you know. Or because you want to hide, apparently.”

“I’m not hiding! Just wanted some quiet time,” she argued.

She ought to get out of there. She walked toward the door.

“Well, as you can see, she’s not back yet. Come, let’s get out.”

Shepard looked back and her heart skipped a beat. Garrus had turned the screen back on and was leaning toward it. Jane was petrified. She needed to find a good excuse and quick. She couldn’t explain to him why she did those researches, she was not even able to explain it to herself. 

Garrus turned to look at her inquiringly.

“Hum ... I was about to use Liara’s terminal and I saw that. Then you entered. That’s why I turned off the screen, I was afraid you would misunderstand … huh … her intentions. I’m pretty sure she was just doing some research.

“Research? On turians and their .... erogenous zones?”

He seemed confused. Shepard came back to the desk.

“Shepard? You think Liara has huh … a thing for turians … or for one turian?”

“Of course not,” she said and force herself to laugh, “you know her. She probably just wanted to learn more about the crew members. Two days ago, I came to see her and she was looking into salamarian customs.”

“Alright ...” simply said Garrus.

Before she had time to react, he reached for the keyboard and brought back the previous screen, turians sexuality.

“Garrus!” she dropped, “it’s Liara’s private computer. You cannot ...”

He didn’t listen to her and went to the previous query. This time, the name of the research was interspecies sexuality.

“Stop that!” she almost screamed. 

If he goes back one more time, he’ll see the human and turian relationship search, and that will be harder to pin on Liara’s desire to get to know the crew better.

They were interrupted when the door opened.

“Shepard? Garrus?”

They both stared at the door to see Kaidan enter the room and walk in their direction.

“What are you both doing here in the dark?”

Kaidan looked at the terminal and lift a brow.

Jane could not believed it.  _ Why not invite the whole crew! _ She thought. Furious against herself, she turned the screen back off.

“Can we give Liara a little intimacy please?”

“You’re the one who came here first! And apparently lit up her terminal,” said Garrus.

“Yeah well, I shouldn’t have. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

While heading toward the exit, she looked back to see that neither of them had moved.

“Now!” she ordered.

Shepard waited for Garrus and Kaidan to cross the door, then she followed. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering what mess she got herself into. Did Garrus believe her lame excuse? She still saw the doubt in his eyes. Can he really think that Liara has more than friendly interest in him? And worst, if he thinks that, could he develop an interest for her? _Shit, I have to_ _talk to Liara as soon as she comes back_ , she thought.

“Shepard, Jack would like to see you in engineering.”

Jane jumped at the voice of EDI, who pulled her back to reality.


	2. Chapter 2

Shepard left engineering and headed toward the cantina. She needed a drink, something strong. Jack had finally found what she was looking for in the Cerberus files. What she told her had left a bitter taste in her mouth. How could she possibly trust a group who was able to commit such atrocities? At least she could trust her own crew with her life, without a doubt.

 When entering the mess hall, she heard a familiar laugh. Liara. Shepard was so absorbed by Jack’s story that she completely forgot she wanted to talk with her. She started walking toward the voices, and stopped. The person who was making Liara laugh was, of course, Garrus. He had one hand placed on the asari’s arm. He didn’t lose any time! she thought. Her stomach tightened and she felt a sudden wave of anger taking grip of her. She fought it down immediately. What the hell is happening to me, she wondered. Garrus is my friend, nothing more. Why am I acting like a jealous girlfriend?

 Two weeks ago, Jane had dreamed about him. Since that night, she had ambiguous feelings about the Turian. She told herself it was not her fault if she dreamt of him, that you don’t choose your dreams. But since then, in spite of herself, she was looking at her friend in a new way. That was the reason she came to do that stupid research.

 She struggled to calm herself down and started walking again. She really needed that drink. Liara saw her and waved.

 “Hey Shepard! Did you know that under his hard ass attitude, Garrus was hiding a seducer side?”

 Liara bursted out laughing. Jane forced herself to smile. She wondered how much the doctor had to drink. It was not a habit of hers. Was Garrus making her drink?

 “Really?” she answered.

 She turned toward Garrus.

 “Will you serve me a drink, Casanova?”

 Liara laughed even harder. Garrus took a bottle, filled a glass and handed it to Shepard. She downed it in one go and pushed the glass back to Garrus.

 “Another”

 He filled it up again. This time, she only took a sip. The alcohol warmed her body and it felt good.

 “Shepard, I’m not sure if Liara is laughing with me or at me,” Garrus said.

 Jane saw amusement sparkling in the Turian eyes.

 “A little bit of both, I’d say,” she offered.

 Liara regained her composure and got up from her stool.

 “Garrus, thank you for the company, I had a good time. I didn’t know you could be so charming, even if it was a bit… awkward. Shepard, when you have a minute, come see me in my quarters.”

 Garrus lifted up his glass to say goodbye and Jane took her place on the stool. She took a long gulp of her drink. Garrus looked at her and became more serious.

 “You look somber, Shepard.”

 Jane finished her glass and pushed it to Garrus. He stared at her, and instead of filling her glass, went to fetch another bottle from the cabinet. He took a new glass, poured the bottle and pushed it back gently toward Shepard. She took it, observed the liquid, then took a sip.

 “Woah! Are you trying to knock me out, Vakarian?”

 “No, but it seems you needed something stronger.”

 “True. Thanks.”

 Garrus gave her time to nurse the beverage for a while.

 “Well... why so somber?” he asked.

 “I just came back from meeting with Jack. She told me things about her past….but I don’t really feel like talking about that right now.”

 “Alright. I was scared for a moment.”

 Shepard looked at him confused.

 “Scared? About what?”

 “Scared you were jealous of my tête-à-tête with Liara.”

 Even if it was probably true, Jane couldn’t help but laugh.

 “Don’t flatter yourself too much, Vakarian. It’s not all the girls around you that swoon.”

 “No? Not even since I got my new scar?”

 “Especially not since then.”

 Garrus adopted a wounded look.

 “Ouch! You hurt my pride, Shepard. I really thought girls liked that.”

 Jane smiled. She always felt good when spending time with Garrus. He knew how to make her forget about the things that troubled her, if only for a moment. If he wasn’t there by her side, she wasn’t sure she had the strength to convey their mission. Since she found him on Omega, she felt she had a new energy in her.

 “Garrus, were you really trying to seduce Liara?” she asked.

 “Hmm, I’m not sure I need to” he wiggled his brow plates, “but just in case, I let her know that blue is my favorite colour.”

 Jane saw that spark again in his eyes.

 “You can’t blame me to wonder why she looked into turian’s sex habits.”

 “I told you, it has nothing to do with you.”

 “And why not? Would it be so surprising?”

 “No, but…”

 “But what? Maybe you think I’m not good enough for her.”

 “Of course you’re good enough, that’s not the point. I’m just certain Liara doesn’t have a thing for you. I can’t explain it, I just feel it, that’s all.”

 Jane thought that in fact, she didn’t know. All she knew was that Liara was not the one who tried to learn more about turians. That wouldn’t mean she could not have feelings for Garrus. He had lots of qualities. He was loyal, righteous and had beliefs that nothing, not even orders from a superior, can deviated him from. He had a lot of charisma and a sharp sense of humor.

 Jane felt a warmth spreading in her lower belly. She lifted her eyes and saw that Garrus was looking at her. The warmth intensified. She had an irresistible urge to stretch her arm and brush her hand against that part behind his head, just under his fringe, to see if what she read was accurate. She lifted her arm, but instead of moving it toward Garrus, she grabbed her drink and finished it. She regained control and returned her focus to him. Something had changed in his face. She still saw some glow in his eyes, but he also seemed disappointed. Did he finally believe her about Liara?

 “Alright Shepard. It’s your opinion.”

 He emptied his glass and stood up.

 “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my calibrations. Good evening, commander.”

 “Good evening, Garrus.”

 She looked at him while he walked out, surprised again by the desire to touch him, a need for a physical contact. The days following her dream, she was very conscious about how her attitude changed toward him. She thought that over time the dream would start to fade and her feelings would return to normal. It’s been almost two weeks now and she had to admit it was not the case. Worst, instead of fading, it seemed that the feelings were getting stronger with each day that passed. And, just minutes ago, she had to recognize it really was jealousy she had felt. Jane took her glass but saw it was empty. She put it back and raised from the stool. She left the mess hall and walked to Liara’s office.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos. It's greatly appreciated!

Shepard was standing in front of Liara’s door, uncertain if she should go in or not. If she entered, she would have no choice but to explain herself. If she backed off, the situation would be out of control, and she was afraid of where it could lead. She remembered Garrus with his hand on Liara’s arm and felt a twinge at her heart. She took a deep breath and moved closer to the door. When she entered, she found Liara sitting behind her desk. The monitor was lit and the page displayed on the screen was still the same one as before. 

Liara looked behind her to see who has entered.

“Shepard!” she said.

“Hey Liara.”

“Listen, I have a strange question for you.”

“I’m listening,” Shepard said, apprehensive.

“You think it’s possible that Garrus has a… hum… how should I put it … a thing for me?”

Jane made a discouraged grin. Before she could answer the question, Liara continued.

“Just now at the cantina, he was particularly considerate toward me and now I find this on my terminal,” she turned back to face the screen, “look at this. Interspecies sexuallity. And see those links that had been selected? Turians sexuallity and here, erogenous zones. You think maybe he left that here to leave a hint for me?”

Liara turned toward Shepard again. Jane inspected her expression and was reassured by what she saw. She was afraid to read hope or even excitation in her features. Actually, she looked confused and kind of scared. Jane knew that at least, Liara did not have feelings for Garrus.

“Liara, it’s not Garrus who left that on your terminal. However, he thinks you’re the one who looked these things up. I guess that explains the way he was acting with you before. He thinks you have crush on him.”

“But … I don’t understand. I didn’t do that research,” Liara said, perplexed.

“I know.”

“So, who did? And how did Garrus even know about that?”

Jane sighed, knowing she had no choice but to come clean with the asari.

“I’m the one who used your computer when you were out. I thought I would be left alone here. But Garrus caught me. I panicked, I didn’t know what to say, so I told him you were the one doing some researches, to learn more about crew members. He didn’t believe me and now he thinks you dig him. I’m so sorry, Liara.”

The doctor was looking at Shepard, thinking hard. Jane knew that with her sharp mind, it would take her mere seconds to reach the only explanation possible. She waited for the inevitable.

“So … if you’re the one who looked up the information, it means that… oh!”

Shepard didn’t answered, only nodded.

“Oh, It’s wonderful Shepard! You will make such a perfect couple!”

Liara stood up and grabbed Shepard in her arm.

“Woah, Liara! Don’t get ahead of yourself. First, I’m not even sure what my feelings are exactly toward Garrus. Second, nothing tells me that he could be interested.”

“Jane, I can assure you that he is interested in you. If you could hear the way he talks about you.”

“We have a mutual respect Liara, that’s all.”

“No, it’s more than that. Whenever he talks about you, there’s a glimmer in his eyes that shows more than just respect.”

Shepard remembered the sparkles she saw in Garrus eyes earlier. But at that time, it was Liara who was responsible for it.

“Yeah well, now he thinks you have a crush on him and as you saw, it didn’t take long before he hit on you.”

“Hum ... I don’t know Jane. Now that I think about it, his behavior was … unnatural and almost overdone. As if he was acting, as if … oh!”

“What?”

“I’m sure Garrus didn’t believe you.”

“I know that, I told you. That’s why he acted like a rutting animal toward you. If he cares for me like you seem to think, it didn’t take much to divert him,” Shepard said with a furious tone.

“No Jane, what I mean it’s he didn’t believe at all your story about me.”

“I …”

“Jane, Garrus knows it was you who did those researches,” Liara said that calmly, to avoid shocking her.

“Oh!”

Shepard pulled a chair and sat down. She tried to think, but her brain refused to cooperate.

“But...it make no sense. Why was he acting that way with you?”

“Like I said, he was playing, and I’m pretty sure you were meant to be the audience.”

“But … why? Was it supposed to be funny?”

Liara took place in front of Shepard, leaned over her and took her hands in hers.

“In fact, it was very clever of him. He probably wanted to see how you would react and maybe forced you to make a move. You said earlier you weren’t sure about your feelings. Do you think it helped you to know them better?”

Was it the case? She couldn’t deny being attracted by Garrus, to such an extent that she came very close to touch him earlier. When she thought about it, she remembered Garrus’s disappointed look when she interrupted her movement. At the time, she thought it was because she denied Liara’s interest in him, but now? She was almost certain he was sorry she didn’t dare.

On a more intellectual level, she highly respected Garrus and appreciated his cartesian intellect. He was surely the crew member with whom she liked to discuss the most, and she felt she didn’t need to prove herself to him. When a situation troubled her and she confided to him, she felt more in control and focused. He always found the right words to make her laugh, even when all seemed insurmountable. She loved his cynicism. 

“I … I think so. At first, I thought it was only momentary, that it would pass… but now? I always have appreciated him a lot and he is my best friend, but what I’m feeling… it’s more than that. But I’m his commander.”

“Yeah … so what? Nobody would mind it. They know you Shepard. They will trust this will not affect your judgement.”

“Nevertheless, it infuriates me that he was able to play me like that.”

Liara smiled at her and she smiled back.

“I think he deserves a scolding, no?” Shepard said with a smirk.

“Don’t be to hard on him, Shepard.”

“Don’t worry Liara. I only want him to taste a dose of his own medicine. Thanks for all, my friend.”


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Jack, Garrus and Shepard went to blow the laboratory where Jack spent her youth as Cerberus’s guinea pig. During the shuttle’s ride bringing them there, Shepard was intentionally cold and distant toward Garrus. She wanted him to believe she was still under the influence of jealousy. It worked beautifully. He was talking about Liara any chance he got and he seemed pleased with himself.

“We’ll see who’s laughing at the end of the day,” she thought.

Back on the Normandy, Garrus proposed a drink. She declined, putting a sad face on, pretexting she wanted to retire in her cabin.

Entering her quarters, she started executing her plan. Shepard placed two bottles of alcohol, one for each of them, with two glasses on the table in front of the couch. She turned music on and chose something mellow. Lastly, she dimmed the lights. 

After looking around, Jane decided she was satisfied by the atmosphere she created. It was time for the next part of her plan. A shower. The hot water relaxed her and she scrubbed herself thoroughly with a scented soap she had not unwrapped until now. After the long shower, she putted a tank top and yoga pants on. 

“EDI, can you ask Garrus to come join me in my cabin?”

“Right away, commander”

Jane sat on the bed, turning her back to the door, and started to dry her hair gently with a towel. She wondered how long it would take him to get here. Would he take his time and let her languished? She had her answer more rapidly than she would have thought.

She heard the door opening and Garrus entering the room. There was a moment of silence, probably the time he took to notice the subdued atmosphere she had putted on. Jane smiled to herself while keeping drying her hair, as if absorbed in her thoughts.

“Huh hum …”

Shepard turned toward him. Garrus was leaning on the wall, his arms crossed, with an intrigued look on his face.

“Hello, Shepard” he said with a smooth voice.

“Hey Garrus”

Jane stood up, threw the towel on the bed, and got near the table where the bottles were.

“Wanna sit down?” she asked, pointing at the couch.

Garrus casually walked to it and took place. Shepard sat at his side. She opened one of the bottles and pour a glass.

“Would you like a drink?”

“Sure, but I thought you didn’t want to share a drink with me tonight,” he said, amused.

Jane opened the other bottle and served herself. She turned toward Garrus. As she expected, she saw his eyes were shining. She wondered for a moment if it really was a good idea to go on with her plan. She could just tell him right now how she felt about him. He looked so confident, like a poker player about to win the big pot, she decided to go on with it.

“I needed time to put some order in my thoughts first.”

“Hu-huh”

They took a sip of their drinks while maintaining eye contact. Shepard felt a mix of nervosity and excitation at being with him in a mood so favorable to intimacy. Given that she was not so good at pretending, the mixed emotions could only make her looked more sincere.

“Well ... if I asked you to come here, it’s because …”

She let her words hanging and almost saw the word victory on the turian’s face.

“Yes, Jane?” he said softly, leaning slightly toward her.

She struggled not to get closer to him. It was the first time he used her first name and it released a heat wave in her belly. She hesitated again, wondering if she was being cruel, but decided that they would be even.

“I wanted to ask you something”

“I’m listening”

He raised his glass to his mouth and she asked her question.

“According to you, what Kaidan thinks of me?”

Garrus choked on his drink. He putted down his glass, wiped his mouth with his hand and looked at her.

“What?”

“Kaidan. I want to know what opinion he has of me.”

Shepard saw a change in the expression of the turian. He went from winner to loser in one instant.

“Why are you asking me that now?”

“Well l… when I saw you with Liara yesterday, it made me ponder. I think I envied her. When I came back here, I asked myself why. It’s pretty simple. I want someone who’s there for me at the end of the day, someone I can share things with. I need someone who’s hugging me and tells me that it will be alright, that I took the right decisions. I thought about what happened between Kaidan and me not so long ago and wondered if it was too late. That’s why I’m asking you. Do you think Kaidan is completely over me, or I still have a chance?

Garrus took his drink again and his gaze was lost in the liquor. When Jane dropped Kaidan’s name, she felt satisfaction at his defeated look. Now she was feeling guilty. She decided it was time to put an end to her childish game. She put her hand on Garrus’s arm to draw his attention. She was about to confess when he spoke.

“You only have to say one word Shepard and Kaidan will come back running.”

He put his glass on the table and stood up.

“Thank you for the drink, but I still have some work to do. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He walked toward the exit without glancing at her.

“Garrus wait!”

“Goodbye Shepard”

He walked out the door.

Jane hung her head.

“Shit”

She felt horribly bad. She had wanted to mislead him a little bit, not to get this intense reaction. What was that about Kaidan running back to her? Was he really still in love with her?

“Shit, shit, shit”

She did not consider that. For her, Kaidan was ancient history, and she was convinced it was the same for him. So why did he say that? Was Garrus jealous of their past relationship and saw Kaidan as a rival?

Shepard decided it would be best to go find Garrus right now and explain herself to him. As she stood up, the cabin’s door opened.

“Kaidan?”

“Hi Shepard. Garrus told me you wanted to see me?”

“Huh… I think there was a miscommunication. Sorry Kaidan, but there is an urgent situation I must address”

Jane left the room, leaving Kaidan standing there. She took the elevator to level three.


	5. Chapter 5

Shepard entered the main battery and found Garrus calibrating the main gun. He was so absorbed by his work that he didn’t hear her come in.

“Garrus?”

He jumped and turned around.

“Shepard?”

He was astounded to find her here so soon after leaving her cabin.

“You’re not with Kaidan? I told him you wanted to see him. I thought it would help you.”

“No… well yes, he came to see me, but huh… I…”

Jane couldn’t think clearly with all the rumbling sound of the machinery.

“I would like to talk to you, but can we step out. The noise,” she said, pointing at the room in general.

“Huh… sure”

Shepard left the room and Garrus followed her.

“Come with me,” she asked him.

They walked past the cantina but Jane continued her way.

“Not here, too many people,” she told him.

She kept walking until she reached the elevator.

“Shepard, where are you taking me? Can’t it wait till tomorrow?”

He looked annoyed, and Jane knew she was responsible for that.

“No, it can’t wait”

“Alright,” he said with a sight.

She entered the elevator and Garrus obediently followed. She pressed the button for her quarters. When the doors opened, she went in the room and sat back down on the couch. She filled each glasses with alcohol. Garrus stood back, unsure what to do.

“Sit down” she said firmly.”

“Shepard, I…”

“Please Garrus, just sit down”

This time it was almost a plea. He sat by her side. She handed him one of the glasses and he took it. She grabbed hers and drank half of it. They found themselves in the same spot, with the same atmosphere as before. The only difference was that Garrus didn’t seem to be enjoying himself anymore. Jane turned to face him. He took a sip and at last turned toward her.

“I don’t know where to begin. I guess I should start by apologizing to you... about Kaidan”

“Shepard, it’s none of my business,I’m not sure what your apologies would be for”

“I’m sorry I lead you to believe I was interested in him”

“Lead me to believe? It seemed pretty clear,” he said curtly.

“Garrus, I have no interest in Kaidan.”

“Huh... right. So why…”

Shepard interrupted him by placing her hand on his shoulder. She could read confusion in his eyes.

“Garrus, I know that you know about… what you saw on Liara’s terminal”

He looked at her for a moment. Now he seemed more surprised than confused.

“You know that I know what, exactly?” he asked.

“That you know damn well it was me using the computer. That you only pretended to charm Liara to see how I would react.”

“Ah!”

Jane removed her hand from Garrus, suddenly conscious of their contact. She gave Garrus time to absorb what she told him. She was pleased to see that his eyes were shining again.

“So… are you telling me that you called me here, put on this… romantic atmosphere and boom,  dropped Kaidan’s name to get your revenge? Well done Shepard, you totally got me in your trap.”

Jane smiled to him. She was relieved to see his good mood was coming back.

“I admit that when I understood the game you were playing, I couldn’t resist playing you in turn.”

“You should have let me suffer a bit longer. Why did you come see me so quickly?”

“I was feeling terribly bad. You seemed so… pained? And when Kaidan arrived here, I decided it was enough.”

Garrus came closer to her and Shepard’s heart began beating faster.

“So Jane, why did you do that research, exactly?” he said with an enticing voice.

He used her first name again. He had a way to pronounce it that sounded so… sensual. Even if she only wore a tank top, she felt incredibly hot in an instant. She finished her drink to give herself some courage, and the heat intensified.

“I wanted to know if… if it was physically possible for a human and a turian to… you know.”

“Yeah, that I got it. But why, Jane?” he got even closer to her, until his leg touches hers and bent down to whisper in her ear, “why do you want to know if a turian and a human could have an intimate relation?”

A shiver started at her nape and traveled to the small of her back. She felt his hot breath on her neck. Garrus moved back to look at her. There was so much desire in his eyes that they shined brighter than ever. She thought it would be physically impossible to answer him, but she heard her say:

“Garrus, it’s been over a week that you haunt my thoughts and that I imagine…”

He leaned back again to her ear.

“You imagine what, Jane?”

She heard that, like her, he was short of breath.

“I imagine you touching me.”

As she said that, he placed his gloved hand on her shoulder and slowly slide it down along her arm. Shepard was unable to contain a moan.

“And I imagine me touching you.”

She put her hand behind his neck, rose it along his nape until she reached under his fringe. Garrus growled into her ear and started nibbling at her neck. Jane was surprised to feel a tickle instead of pain. She had been afraid of the effect his pointed teeth would have on her skin.

“Hmm… your skin is so soft and tender and hot. You’re so hot!”

Shepard passed a leg over Garrus while pivoting to found herself straddled on him. She bent down to kiss his neck. He put his arms around her, removed his gloves and glided his hands under her tank top. The contact of his talons caressing the skin of her back made her shiver. Jane pressed her pelvis against his and hugged him as hard as she could while they continued to kiss each other’s neck.

She heard Garrus sighed.

“Jane,” he said while pushing her softly.

“Hmmm?”

“I hate to say it, but I think we should restrained ourselves”

“No. No, no, no,” she said before licking the length of his scar.

“Jane… I don’t want to stop either. Believe me, I’m the luckiest turian in the galaxy right now. But you could have a severe allergic reaction.”

“What?” she looked at him, perplexed.

“You may be allergic to, ah, my fluids. You didn’t see that in your researches?”

“No. Someone interrupted me, remember?”

“I remember,” he said with his turian smile, “well, for my part, I had time to look more deeply.”

“You did some research of your own? When?”

“Hmmm, lets say that in my case, it’s been a long while since I’ve been imagining you touching me… and me touching you.”

He placed his hand on her throat and slowly lowered it down her chest to stopped on one breast.

“And I’m very curious about… that. But before we come to a point of no return, we should get you tested, see how you react. Surely Mordin could arranged something for us.”

“Garrus, what if I react badly? What will we do?

“I don’t know, Shepard. A cream maybe? A proper protection or even an antidote or a vaccine, who knows? But one thing at a time. As it is, maybe you won’t react at all.”

He removed his hand from her breast and placed it tenderly on her cheek.

“But you know what? I have a strong feeling it will be just fine, because right now, it feels perfect. Even if it beats me why you’d want to be with me. You could have anyone you like, Jane.”

“Yeah? Well, it happens to be you that I want.”

Garrus took her head between his hands and pressed his forehead to hers.

“And how glad I am for it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's pretty much where I wanted the story to end. Maybe I'll add a couple more chapters eventually, but I'm not sure yet. Thank you for all the kudos, it made me very happy. Special thanks for my friend Tania who reviewed my english.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty short chapter. I just wanted to add a little more heat. This chapter was not reviewed by my friend, so sorry if there is any mistakes in grammar or syntax. Feel free to point them to me if you find some.

Shepard and Garrus spent the rest of the evening comfortably seated on the couch, talking about the last days and their new situation. Shepard wanted to know, most of all, how he came to realize she was into him.

“I had doubts since a while, because of some little clues,” he said when she questioned him about it. “Sometimes, I caught you looking at me, and you rapidly looked away. I felt a certain tension coming from you, when we were close together. Also, in the past two weeks, you left me behind for a couple of missions. You always take me with you, so I knew something was wrong. I just wasn’t sure what was up yet. When I surprised you yesterday, I could not believe what I saw. If you didn’t so awkwardly denied that you used the computer yourself, I would never have guessed your intentions. That’s when I understood. I came very close to throwing myself at you right there, but I wasn’t sure if you were ready for it. That’s why I used Liara. I wanted to make you jealous, see how you would react.”

Shepard stretched her hand to caress the turian’s cheek.

“And I thank you for that, Garrus. If you didn’t play it like that, who knows how long it would have taken me to understand… how much you mean to me. I was stupid trying to deny it.”

“Don’t say that. Stupid is the last word I would choose to describe you. You are strong, determined, courageous and witty.

“Not courageous enough to confront you,” she said sheepishly.

“Well… it’s true that I can look very impressive, what with my stature and my big… gun.”

Jane giggled. She was struck with a surge of affection for him.

“Can I try something?” she asked.

“Sure.”

Shepard took his head between her hands and gently put her lips to his mouth. After this chaste kiss, she moved back to see his reaction. He looked doubtful.

“I know you humans seem to appreciate this ritual, but I’m not sure what I’m suppose to do. My mouth doesn’t have the flexibility of yours. On the other hand, I very much like the feeling of your lips… so soft.”

“Alright, so let’s mix my flexibility with your reach. Open your mouth a little.”

He complied and Shepard put her lips back on his. This time, she stuck her tongue into his mouth. Almost immediately, Garrus joined his and put his dexterity to work. After some time, Shepard drew back, panting and her cheeks burning with desire.

“Wow!” said Garrus, “that was… interesting!”

He saw her flushed face and took it between his hands to repeat the experience. When their mouths separated again, they needed to catch their breath for a while.

“Jane, I cannot hold out for long like that. I want you so badly, it hurts… literally.”

“I know Garrus. It takes all I have not to remove your damn suit and to say to hell with the consequences.”

“So maybe it’s time I return to my post. The last thing I want is to hurt you. Tomorrow, we’ll go see Mordin.

“Yeah, you’re right. So I guess I should tell you goodnight.” she said, feeling a little bit down.

Garrus bent down on Shepard and breathed deeply to capture her smell before rising.

“Hmmm, somehow, I’m not convinced I’ll be able to sleep. I have too many vivid images in my head,” he said, teasing.

“Oh yeah? What kind of images?” she asked him with a large smile.

“The kind I can’t tell out loud, Shepard. Goodnight.”

Jane watched him leave the room, the smile still printed on her lips. She sighed and prayed that Mordin would have good news for them.


End file.
